Is Christy Mathewson #3 worth grading?
Baseball · Baseball Cards 1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 109× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Christy Mathewson #3 sells for $81.84 against $0.75 raw: a $81.09 spread, 109× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.09) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $0.75
- PSA 10
- $81.84
- PSA 9
- $18.09
- Gem premium
- 109×
- As of
- Sep 4, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — PSA 10 | $81.84 | +$56.09 | +$31.09 | −$68.91 |
| PSA 9 | $18.09 | −$7.66 | −$32.66 | −$133 |
| PSA 8 | $8.40 | −$17.35 | −$42.35 | −$142 |
Net = sale price − $0.75 raw value − fee. Fee tiers are illustrative; plug your grader's current price into the calculator below.
Expected value — how often does it need to gem?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $34.03 | −$16.72 |
| 50% | $49.97 | −$0.78 |
| 75% | $65.90 | +$15.15 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 51%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes
All centering standards →| Grader | 10 sells for | vs best | Front centering for a 10 | Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGS 10 | $106 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $81.84 | −$24.16 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $49.00 | −$57.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $49.00 | −$57.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
Tolerances are each company's published centering standard for its top grade; surface, corners and edges must also be clean. Centering is the one you can measure yourself before you pay.
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Grading Christy Mathewson #3 — FAQ
Is Christy Mathewson #3 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Christy Mathewson #3 sells for $81.84 against $0.75 raw: a $81.09 spread, 109× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($18.09) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Christy Mathewson #3 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Christy Mathewson #3 (Baseball Cards 1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes) sells for about $81.84 versus $0.75 for a raw near-mint copy — a 109× premium as of Sep 4, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Christy Mathewson #3?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $106, ahead of PSA 10 at $81.84. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Christy Mathewson #3 need for a BGS 10?
BGS publishes 55/45 front and 70/30 back centering as the tolerance for a 10 (Gem Mint). Off-center copies are capped below the top grade regardless of surface — measure yours before paying the fee.
What gem rate makes grading Christy Mathewson #3 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Christy Mathewson #3 breaks even when it gems about 51% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $18.09).
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